BRATTLEBORO — Visiting master Senegalese dancer, teacher, and choreographer Caro Diallo offers an intensive weekend of Zumba and dance classes on Nov. 15 and 16 at the Stone Church, 210 Main St.
This is Diallo's eighth time visiting Brattleboro. He taught twice a week here in August and September. Organizers say this is the last chance to take classes with him before he heads back to Senegal and Switzerland, where he teaches the rest of the year.
Diallo, a certified Zumba teacher – and director, choreographer, and lead dancer of the Senegalese dance troupe Black Soofa – says Zumba incorporates his artful style of African dance. He also offers beginning and advanced dance classes.
The event announcement reads, “In a warm-up his students rave about, Diallo provides an entire vocabulary of African movements. An accomplished teacher, he systematically builds up phrase after phrase of the dance until students find themselves actually performing the entire choreography.”
Live drumming is provided by Jamurell Stanley and friends.
Hailing from the lush Casamance region of Senegal on Africa's West Coast, Diallo has been dancing since childhood. After intensive training with dance masters in Dakar, Diallo joined the ballet troupe Foret Sacree, performing throughout West Africa.
African dance classes run Wednesdays from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. at The Stone Church. Georgette Adjie, originally from Cameroon, teaches every first and third Wednesday of the month. Pape Ba, originally from Senegal, teaches every second and fourth Wednesday. There is always live drumming and all levels are welcome. The cost is on a sliding scale from $12 to $15.